The Grand Duelist

"Can you still... buy me some time?" Joseph looked somewhat hesitant.

"I'll... try..." The bandit-player replied with the same hesitation.

The bandit-player took his dagger and prepared a stance. He was caught off guard and took tremendous damage earlier, but now that he had recovered. He would not let himself suffer like that once again.

"Shadow Domain!"

He mumbled, and the dark alleyways were they all stood in became as dark as the night. The light outside couldn't penetrate the alleyway as if something was blocking its way.

[Under the effects of your Shadow Domain, your Movement Speed and Attack Damage is increased by 20%.]

The bandit-player's Movement Speed and Attack Damage increased. He rushed towards the Great Wandering Bard, his dagger emanating a dangerous glow.

But even though he moved to attack...

His eyes were glued at the hands of the Great Wandering Bard.

He knew that no matter how fast he was. He still couldn't surpass the speed of sound. Once the hand that the Great Wandering Bard had in the air, descended. He would instantly move aside and dodge in advance so that he could evade the incoming sound wave.

But why did he thought that he could dodge the Great Wandering Bard's attack using this method?

Well, it was because he saw earlier that the sound waves that the Great Wandering Bard produced were projectile attacks.

They weren't hitscan attacks that instantly registered a hit once it was sent to his enemies.

A hitscan attack that strong could easily break the balance of Victory, so such a weakness was quite reasonable.

The Great Wandering Bard's hand descended and before his hand landed on his ukulele.

The approaching bandit hurriedly moved to the side and lowered his body to the ground.

Whing~

A whistling sound rang out so close to his ears that he couldn't help but gulp a mouthful of saliva as shivers ran down his spine.

He only managed to dodge that attack in a hair's breadth and if he moved a beat later than he did...

His head would've already exploded like a watermelon.

Nevertheless, he was thankful for his luck. He managed to dodge that dangerous attack, and now.

It was his turn to attack. Even though he knew that he probably wouldn't deal any substantial damage against the Great Wandering Bard.

He still had to attack...

Why?

It was because...

"This one's for my brothers!" His dagger gleamed dangerously as he stepped at the side of the Great Wandering Bard and sent an attack at the latter's side.

Puak!

[You dealt 22,103 damage!]

Blood splattered on the ground. He was shocked by the damage that he dealt. But he had no time to think deeply about that. His enemy was quickly turning around so, he attacked once again.

Puak!

[You dealt 23,120 damage!]

The moment that his dagger left his enemy's body. He hurriedly stomped on the ground and used that force to somersault and retreat backward. The Great Wandering Bard finally turned around and he sent an attack to that bandit that dared to attack him.

Whing!

A whistling sound could be heard as the sound wave from the Great Wandering Bard's attack approached the bandit in mid-air.

"Shit, I can't move too much while I'm in the air." He inwardly cursed before slapping both of his palms together and reciting: "Shadow Raven!"

The attack finally reached him, but it miraculously passed his body before exploding when it struck a wall.

Joseph who was observing the battle behind him couldn't help but doubt his eyes from what he saw.

But he had no time to make any deductions for he had his own job to do.

"I regret not learning more about my class back when I still had the time. But there's no use crying over spilled milk. I must learn more about my skills right now!" Joseph thought to himself.

He hurriedly opened his skill tree and opened the first skill icon that he found.

[ The Grand Duelist's Graceful Swordsmanship Lv. 1

Enables the use of [Point], [Harmony], [Grace], and [Rage] to deal 500%, 550%, 600%, and 1000% of your Attack Damage respectively.

* When not using the designated class-specific weapon. The skills deal 50% reduced damage.

* Your basic attacks using your class-specific weapon is passively enhanced. Attack Damage with basic attacks are increased by 30%, Critical Chance is increased by 20%, and the damage of your Critical Strikes in every third consecutive attack that critically strikes is increased by a certain percentage, scaling on level and Dexterity.

This increment on Critical Strike Damage is considered as a basic attack, applies on-hit effects and also stacks with other skill effects that the Grand Duelist has, or is under.

* The Grand Duelist's Graceful Swordsmanship has the potential of temporarily exceeding the maximum Increased Critical Damage. But it can never be exceeded without using the class-specific weapon.

Skill Usage Conditions: The Grand Duelist

Skill Cost: None

Skill Cooldown Time: 15 Minutes for each skill. ]

[ The Grand Duelist's Dash Lv. 1

Become briefly untargetable and dash to a targeted enemy. Upon arrival, your next skill or basic attack will unconditionally deal 200% of your Attack Damage stackable upon other effects such as skill effects, or on-hit effects.

* When not using the designated class-specific weapon. The skill deals 50% reduced damage.

Skill Usage Conditions: The Grand Duelist

Skill Cost: None

Skill Cooldown Time: 5 Minutes. ]

[ The Grand Duelist's Precision and Grace Lv. 1

When in battle, activate to enter the state of [ Hypersensitivity ].

* When in the state of [ Hypersensitivity ] all skills will have decreased casting time. Movement Speed is increased by 20% stackable upon other Movement Speed effects caused by other Grand Duelist's skills.

* While the state of [ Hypersensitivity ] caused by Precision and Grace is activated. Every movement that you do will cause deceptive motion blurs that will disorient your enemies.

* Base duration of the skill is a minute, but the duration scales depending on how many enemies does the Grand Duelist have in front of him/her.

* For every enemy facing the Grand Duelist on the battlefield. The duration of [ Hypersensitivity ] increases by half a minute.

Skill Usage Conditions: The Grand Duelist

Skill Cost: None

Skill Cooldown Time: 1 Hour. ]

[ The Grand Duelist's Fame and Honor Lv. 1

Activate to temporarily enter a state of [ Valiantness ]

* While in the state of [ Valiantness ] every attack received from all sources deals reduced damage, with the exception of attacks imbued with Divine Energy.

* There's a rare probability of inflicting [ Fear ] to those that dared to attack you while you're in the state of [ Valiantness ]

* Base duration of the skill is a minute, but the duration scales depending on how many enemies does the Grand Duelist have in front of him/her.

* For every enemy facing the Grand Duelist on the battlefield. The duration of [ Valiantness ] increases by half a minute.

Skill Usage Conditions: The Grand Duelist

Skill Cost: None

Skill Cooldown Time: 3 Hours. ]

[ The Grand Duelist's Composure Lv 1.

Activate to enter a state of [ Calm and Composed ].

* While in the state of [ Calm and Composed ] every attack sent at you can be reflected back at your enemies with 20% reduced damage.

* In every successful [ Deflect ] you will gain two points of [ Imminent Counter-attack ] up to a maximum of a hundred.

* Once [ Imminent Counter-attack ] has reached its maximum capacity. You can deploy it in a single catastrophic strike that deals about 40% of the damage from all attacks that you have deflected, plus 1000% of your Attack Damage.

* The effects of [ Calm and Composed ] lasts for a minute, or when [ Imminent Counter-attack ] reaches maximum capacity.

Skill Usage Conditions: The Grand Duelist

Skill Cost: None

Skill Cooldown Time: 3 hours. ]

[ The Grand Duelist's Overwhelming Presence Lv. 1

Activate to enter a state of [ Indomitability ]

* While in the state of [ Indomitability ] all of your basic attacks will turn into ranged attacks. The damage of your ranged basic attacks while in this state falls off at about fifteen meters.

* Your ranged attacks can critically strike for 300% of your Attack Damage.

* While in this state, you will become a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. Enemy soldiers will have drastically reduced morale when they are facing you, and allied soldiers will be empowered while they are around you.

Skill Usage Conditions: The Grand Duelist

Skill Cost: None

Skill Cooldown Time: 3 hours. ]

[The Grand Duelist's Sharpened Eyes Lv. 1

Once activated, your eyes will turn into [ All Seeing-Eyes ].

* While in the state of [ All Seeing-Eyes ], nothing can escape your eyes. Every weakness or advantages of your enemies will be revealed. But it's still up to the Grand Duelist on how he could see the truth from the false.

* Whenever a weakness revealed by Sharpened Eyes is struck, you deal damage equal to 250% of your Attack Damage, plus 5% of your enemy's current Health. Your Movement Speed is also increased by 10%, while your enemy's movement speed is reduced by the same amount.

* Whenever an advantage is struck, the number of weaknesses increases by one.

* The effect of Sharpened Eyes automatically disappears after half a minute, or until all weaknesses are disposed of.

* Can also be activated with enough concentration.

* If you managed to destroy every weakness of a single targeted enemy, you can activate [ Expunge ]

Expunge Lv. 1

Detonates all remaining weaknesses for 20% of the damage dealt by the explosion of those weaknesses prior to the usage of [ Expunge ] and a certain percentage of your enemy's current Health.

Skill Usage Conditions: The Grand Duelist

Skill Cost: None

Skill Cooldown Time: 6 hours. ]

[ The Grand Duelist's Tenacity Lv. 1

The Grand Duelist thrives on the battlefield.

* Once your Health is lower than a certain percentage. Your attack speed and movement speed will be increased by 80%, but all of your defenses are rendered useless.

* This is a skill that automatically activates when the Grand Duelist is in desperate straits.

Skill Usage Conditions: The Grand Duelist

Skill Cost: Every Defenses from all sources are rendered useless.

Skill Cooldown Time: 1 Day. ]

"Holy shit, this is..." Joseph couldn't help but suck a mouthful of cold breath when he saw the description of the skills that he had. Even though he had no time to think about which of them would be more useful in his current situation.

Joseph wasn't in the position to hold back.

Bang!

A loud explosion occurred.

The bandit-player who offered to buy some time for Joseph finally couldn't dodge the attacks of the Great Wandering Bard anymore as he flew backward and rolled on the ground like a ball.

Of course, he immediately stood up and glared at Joseph once he recovered.

"Are you still not done, yet? The duration of my Shadow Domain is almost over!"

Joseph turned to look at him with a smile.

"You did well. Gather your brothers with you and retreat..."

Joseph stared at the bandit-player with a complicated expression on his face. He wasn't actually that confident in defeating the Great Wandering Bard. But for the sake of his class-specific quest.

He must persevere and do the best that he could.

Although Joseph was still insecure and afraid, given that the stakes this time were too great. But he had a particular talent that always helped him whenever he was in a pinch?

But what was that particular talent?

Of course, it was the art of acting tough!

The bandit-player's expression turned strange for a moment because he detected an anomaly within Joseph. Why was he wearing such a confident smile?

Could he really defeat such a monstrous NPC by himself just because he bought him some time?

"I really appreciate that you bought me some time to study..."

"Now, it's my time to pay that favor back."

Joseph whispered in the air, but the bandit-player who lived within the darkness had incomparably sharp ears. He heard what Joseph said and he couldn't help but ask.

"Wait, what? What do you mean by study? You... what were you doing when I'm fighting in the front lines."

Joseph turned around to face him and with a smile on his face.

He replied casually: "I just browsed the forums for some guides on how to defeat this bastard."

"You browsed what?!" The bandit-player couldn't believe his ears to the extent that he shouted out loud.

But before he could ask any further...

He found that Joseph had disappeared and was now standing beside the Great Wandering Bard.

"Kayn... will you not fight beside him?" One of Kayn's brothers asked him.

"If I could, I would... But sadly, my Shadow Domain's duration is over and my mana's almost gone." Kayn shook his head and afterward, he dragged his brothers deeper into the alleyway as they observed the battle from afar.

"Composure, Sharpened Eyes..." Joseph whispered. A black and red light appeared and surrounded his body. From afar, he looked quite valiant and heroic.

But if you saw Joseph's eyes while you were near him, then you'd be frozen in fear.

It was because right now. Joseph's eyes had crimson tint in them as he observed his enemy whose weakness, now revealed to him in the form of red and white circles.

The Great Wandering Bard had a red circle on his side where the bandit-player struck at him earlier. Joseph decided that he would first test which of these circles are the weaknesses, and advantages as he readied a stance and used [Dash] towards his enemy.

In a blink of an eye, he reached the Great Wandering Bard and he sent a [Thrust] at the Great Wandering Bard's side.

When his sword struck that red circle. It shattered, and a system notification appeared before Joseph.

[You struck a weakness! You dealt 50,231 damage!]

"Holy shit!" Joseph exclaimed when he saw how much damage he dealt.

Not only that, Joseph felt that his body had become lighter and more agile..

He twisted his body and evaded a punch from the Great Wandering Bard. He momentarily leaped backward before jumping into the fray once again where he struck another red circle located near the Great Wandering Bard's armpits.

Pang!

A dull sound rang out and a system notification appeared, informing Joseph of the damage that he dealt against his enemy.

[You dealt 52,312 damage!]

"Persistent bastard!"

The Great Wandering Bard screamed in pain and disbelief. He never expected that someone as weak as Joseph could inflict as much damage as what he was doing right now.

His eyes radiated now suspicions about Joseph's identity.

He had long noticed the aura of the Grand Duelist on Joseph's body...

But Joseph was too weak right now that he couldn't believe that someone as weak as Joseph could be chosen as the descendant of the Grand Duelist's legacy. Not only that, the Divine Aura of the Grand Duelist within his body was too faint.

But now that he had a taste of Joseph's capabilities.

His head somewhat cleared, but he still couldn't be sure about Joseph's identity.

After all, this wasn't the first time that he felt an aura similar to the Grand Duelist from other people and whenever he approached them...

It turned out that they were just fakes that wanted to deceive him.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

This was the mentality that the Great Wandering Bard had right now. He wouldn't believe everything until he was thoroughly convinced about Joseph's true identity.

But how could he convince himself that Joseph was a true Grand Duelist or a fake?

Well...

It was through fighting...

The Grand Duelist was an extreme master in close-quarter combat. As long as the enemy was within his weapon's reach, he would undoubtedly win.

Right now, the Great Wandering Bard planned on knowing the truth through battle.

If the weak person in front of him managed to even stagger him back while he was using his true strength.

He would finally be convinced about Joseph's identity.

And so...

Joseph's incredibly difficult battle against the Great Wandering Bard began...